BMW 528I loss of power problems

Filed Aug 21, 2025 · Engine · FL

Multiple critical BMW engine components are manufactured from plastic, including the oil pan, coolant expansion tank, valve cover, and turbo inlet pipe. These parts are prone to premature failure from normal heat & stress, as confirmed by independent mechanics. Failures can cause sudden loss of oil or coolant, persistent oil leaks, overheating, loss of power, and roadside breakdowns. The use of plastic for an oil pan is concerning. Plastic cannot withstand impacts with common road hazards such as tire fragments, etc. Striking a retread at highway speed could easily crack the pan, dump all engine oil, and lead to catastrophic engine seizure, endangering people. In my case (2016 BMW 528i), several plastic components have already failed, including the oil pan, turbo inlet pipe, coolant expansion tank, valve cover, and multiple coil packs. While BMW considers coil pack replacement a normal maintenance item, there are widespread complaints of premature failures. Most of the heat-related plastic failures occur above 70,000 miles. Despite several related breakdowns, the previous owner and I avoided dangerous situations. These failures are widely documented by other owners online and by independent mechanics, who often recommend aftermarket aluminum replacements for improved safety and reliability. BMW is aware of these issues but continues to use plastic for critical components--they recently lost a class-action lawsuit related to internal plastic engine parts that caused catastrophic engine damage, showing prior knowledge of the risks. These failures also create environmental hazards, as leaking plastic oil pans & valve covers contaminate roads and driveways. Because repairs are $$$, many consumers delay fixing the problems, increasing both safety and environmental risks. This design prioritizes cost savings over durability and safety. These parts should be made of metal to withstand normal use and protect drivers, passengers, and the public from unnecessary hazards.

Filed Feb 1, 2024 · Engine · 91,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the "Loss of Engine Power" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Mar 10, 2023 · Airbags, Seat belts · NM · 1 injury

I am writing to bring to your attention a safety defect in the 2015 BMW 528i that needs to be investigated. The vehicle has a defect in the design of the occupant protection system, involving both the seatbelt and airbag systems. The battery in the 2015 BMW 528i is located in the trunk just interior and below the rear bumper. In a rear-end collision the battery may become disabled and relies on a capacitor for back up power. Per BMW specifications the capacitor only holds power for 150 seconds. In a resulting frontal impact, the airbags will not deploy if the battery power has been disrupted and the capacitor has also run out of power before the frontal impact reaches a threshold to deploy the airbags. A corresponding flaw in the occupant protection system is the adaptive load limiter disposal firing. Per BMW specifications, the adaptive load limiter had a disposal firing at 250 seconds after the initial load limiter is activated. This disposal firing allows for additional spool out of the seatbelt. This has catastrophic consequences when the front airbag has not deployed and the driver is released from the seatbelt due to the additional spool out and is allowed to come into contact with the steering wheel. Both the power defect and the adaptive load limiter defect impacts the safety performance as it relates to the passenger as well. This accident scenario was recently put to a jury in Alexander v. BMW of North America, LLC, 7:18-cv-03065-JD in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Spartanburg Division. In Alexander, the load limiter deployed at 18 ms, the power was disrupted at 120 ms, the adaptive load limiter then fired at 268 ms, and the capacitor lost power at 270 ms. The airbag was not able to be fired and the additional spool out allowed Ms. Alexander to strike the steering wheel. The jury returned a verdict for the Plaintiff and found that the system, including the airbag and seatbelt system, was defective.

Filed Feb 3, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · FL

I have a 2011 SIX-cylinder BMW 528i. I was driving down the road and had a yellow engine light come on and my car lost all power and I coasted into a parking area and then had my vehicle towed to the BMW Service Center. They determined the problem was that the VANOS UNIT BOLTS had broken off and they repaired the vehicle charging me $6678.11. I found out about a recall for 2010-2012 5 series BMW’s and my service advisor told me that I didn’t qualify for is because the recall had expired in 2021. I called BMW North America and they referred me to NHITSA. I have a video sent to me from the service technician showing me where the bolts had sheared off. I feel that this should have been repaired by BMW at no charge to me.

Filed Feb 15, 2022 · Engine, Steering · CA

Casually picking up from a stop light when my car just randomly decided to turn off on the middle of the road and go into neutral. I lost power steering and brakes. I was able to manage to pull over and restart the car and I was welcomed with a bunch of check engine lights and many other malfunctions. Got the car towed and comes out that the timing chain has failed as well as the oil pump and resulted in damage to the camshaft and cylinder head of the motor. This is just insane how all of this happened in just a few seconds. I took care of my car did oil changes on time, coolant, brakes, transmission fluid. I took care of my car. Bmw put me in a very unsafe condition that day and I’m very upset because that could have ended very bad for me. The n20 motor has been very well known to fail at any time without any warning and bmw has yet to recall this motor. It became very bad to the point to where they even got sued but only limited the warranty up to 100K miles. Many people experienced this problem before 100K and some experienced it earlier. Their is no given time when this timing chain can fail on you. In my case so many things were damaged in the engine and I even contacted bmw NA and they didn’t even care to help. Bmw put me in a very bad spot and they want me to replace the engine and pay labor and pay more than what the cars worth! Bmw is crazy for this and I hope all of these engines get recalled and get replaced free of charge without worrying about how many miles you got on the car.

Filed Oct 27, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · 120,000 miles · SC

The vehicle lost power, while in motion, in the middle of the road after accelerating. The car gave an error code of drivetrain malfunction. My car lost power in the middle of a busy city street, and it could have easily LED to a terrible accident. Possibly related to the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v746000 but my car was not included in the recall.

Filed Aug 10, 2020 · Electrical, Fuel system · 107,000 miles · CA

I was driving on the road and I accelerated a lil bit faster to beat the traffic light and then my car loss power and stalled out and I got stuck in the middle of the bridge and I was causing traffic the power train malfunction and the fuel supply light cam on and the charge battery light came on I try starting it but it wouldn't start and the fuel supply light kept coming on and some wiring problem was going on when trying to start it my tv screen would turn orange and the speedometer where the MPH/gas/temperature/and RPM would twitch like some electrical problem

Filed Jul 21, 2020 · Engine · 137,800 miles · CA

Iissue with the timing chain which I understand to be a common problem with many bmw's drivetrain malfunction warning light came on and I had a loss of power along with low oil pressure warning light.took the car the a bmw dealership for a diagnostic and the results were the timing chain needed replacement along with cam adjuster solenoids and phasers. Estimated cost almost $5k. Car is currently sitting in my driveway for the past 40 days. My understanding is that this is/has happened to many bmw owners of 2012-2015 cars.

Filed Nov 15, 2019 · Engine · 111,000 miles · FL

I was driving my vehicle on the highway and a drive train malfunction indicator was displayed on the screen. The car immediately lost all power and I was forced to pull over on the side of the road. I towed my vehicle to the closest certified repair shop. After the repair ran their diagnostic test, they informed me that I needed a new engine because it had seized. They also quoted me at $9,900 for a new engine. My car currently has approximately 111,000 miles.

Filed Jul 21, 2019 · Engine · 120,000 miles · CA

This incident happened on april 19th. Whilst climbing an uphill on a multi lane road, I felt I was losing power, confused and worried, I pushed on the gas pedal harder and harder only to realize I was rapidly slowing down, and the engine had stopped revving! Looking at the dash, the transmission automatically had shifted to neutral and the car was coasting uphill steadily losing speed. Was in the center lane, hit the hazard lamps and tried to change over to the right lane in an attempt to get over to right shoulder for safely. Car in the adjacent lanes parallel to me, not being able to see all flashers going were not friendly at first to let me change and thank god, I somehow forced my way in and jumped over to the shoulder. Enough to say, I and my family in the car were scared of being rear ended or side swiped and would have been in a multi car collision that was all avoided from my quick thinking on my heels and bit of luck on my side. I towed my car to bmw dealer. Dealer found low oil pressure codes, on further debugging found broken timing chain guide, and informed me that engine was damaged from the broken timing chain guide. Only solution now is to switch to a new engine costing approximately $17k. Since I have 120k miles. I leant about my warranty extension for timing chains and oil pump. My request for any assistance under warranty extension has been declined by bmw because the car has 120k miles vs. 70k miles warranty period. While I understand and appreciate that, I am baffled at the fact that, bmw knew this problems and possible engine damage but did not notify the customers of possible sudden loss of power and catastrophic engine failure. If I had know I would have replaced the timing chain at my cost and potentially saved the engine. At least they should have updated the maintenance schedule to inspect the timing chain degradation.